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And the winner is...JOE GRIMM! He scored 24 KOs in a row and was never knocked out. He was a winner in the ring, and a winner in life. This is the story of a bantam boxer, his chaperoning older brother, and the time in which they lived. It is the 1920s, and there are boxing clubs in nearly every city in America. Joe Grimm weighs 118 pounds and is flat-footed-but he has a punch and a KO record that draw leading managers to add Joe to their stables. He trains in the same gym as Jim Braddock, the future Cinderella Man. Joe's awesome winning streak is interrupted when he and his brother are called home. He leaves the arenas with their cheering crowds and works as a butcher in his grocery shop bought with ring money for his family. Now the character traits that made him a boxing wonder make him a success in business. The Gentleman Boxer captures the excitement and hope of an era when anything was possible and anyone could become a hero-or a champion. It is a tribute to the thousands of forgotten bantam prizefighters in the Golden Age of Boxing.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Use at back of book. Ion Grumeza is the author of the international best seller about sports hero Nadia Comaneci, Nadia: The Success Secrets of the Amazing Romanian Gymnast, and of several non-fiction history books, including Dacia: Land of Transylvania, Ancient Cornerstone of Eastern Europe, 500 B.C.-A.D. 500; The Roots of Balkanization: Eastern Europe, C.E. 500-1500; and Admiring the Goose-steps: How Hitler Succeeded in Intimidating the World Powers. Grumeza had formal boxing training in his native Romania, and he created and managed a boxing program for a YMCA in Connecticut. He resides in Louisville, KY, where he lectures for the Veritas Society at Bellarmine University.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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If you are a boxing fan, this books let's you know what it was about being a boxer back around the1920's. My father was a professional boxer in that time period and the book brought back so many lost memories. Times were tough, money was thin. Boxers were boxers and managers were managers. A time when some boxers save the day for their familes. Easy to read, well written. I really enjoyed it.

I won a copy of "The Gentleman Boxer" by Ion Grumeza from the radio show Talkin' Boxing with Billy C. I didn't know anything about the subject of the book before I delved into it, a bantamweight fighter from the 1920 who fought by the name of Joe Grimm. His real name was Joseph Hashim, who came to America by way of Lebanon when he was a young boy. This is very much an immigrant's story finding success for himself and his family by hard work and determination. With the aid of his older brother, acting as his personal manager, he plied away at boxing as a trade with a wonderful blue-collar attitude. The picture painted of him is one, obviously, as a nice young man in and out of the ring, hence the nickname "gentleman Joe." He was also nicknamed the "Dempsey of the bantams" for his aggressive fighting style, thereby entertaining audiences that came to see him fight, which included a boy scout troop he had joined and was very much a part of activity-wise.

The book does a great job of painting a picture of its time when boxing was king--although illegal in a lot of states. Because of the criminal element in boxing (gambling/gangsters), some states would not allow decisions to be rendered to discourage betting. Therefore, newspaper decisions were made the day following the fights. Sports writers were often paid by promoters to write favorably for their fighters. A boxer with the right promoter could get far in the sport, even if he lacked talent. One example being heavyweight Primo Carnera. This is the type of atmosphere Joe Grimm and to try to navigate his way through to a title. He was all about family and any money he earned in the ring went to support them. Eventually, out of frustration he decided to hang 'em up and work full time in his family's grocery store. There, he was a success. But it begs the question: What could've been?

Overall, I give the book 5 stars because it places you firmly in its setting and makes the characters real. Any diehard or casual/sports fan will enjoy it.

The Gentleman Boxer is a GREAT Book! Not only did Grumeza do a fantastic job in telling the story of Joe Grimm, but he also brings you back to the 1920's....the scenes, smells, attitudes, happiness, sadness, EVERYTHING! As far as I know, there is no Time-Travel yet, but Ion Grumeza comes VERY CLOSE with this book. I am a boxing historian and Ion paints a complete picture of why boxing was the number one sport during this era. Don't wait another second....READ THIS BOOK!

Bill Calogero

Billy C from the International Boxing Talk TV & Radio Program, Talkin Boxing With Billy C